Flintshire Council Heating & Insulation Grants

Flintshire residents can take advantage of free upgrades to their home that will save energy and reduce bills. In order for you or someone in your household to be eligible, there is a long list of requirements. We talk you through the eligibility rules to see if you can access these generous grants.

What grant schemes are available to Flintshire residents?

Flintshire Council residents can access a range of energy-efficiency grants for home improvements under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme. These grants target low-income and properties with inefficient heating, so if you are struggling with heating costs, the ECO scheme can help. Accessing a grant is a great opportunity no matter what type of residence it might be: owned home or rented accommodation.

The ECO scheme is an energy efficiency programme backed by the UK Government. It requires all energy suppliers to provide funding for home insulation and heating measures on some of the least energy efficient homes. The aim is to reduce fuel poverty by making homes more affordable to heat.

What free home upgrades can Flintshire Council residents get?

Homeowners and renters who are struggling with their heating bills have a chance to improve the efficiency of their home’s heating system with a grant.

The money is available for heating solutions such as boilers, first time central heating and high heat retention storage heaters.

You can also have insulation installed in your walls, roof or floor and these grants could have a significant benefit on homes that are poorly insulated or don’t have good heating systems.  

Who is eligible for grants in Flintshire?

The easiest way to be eligible for a grant is through receiving one of the following benefits:

• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Carer’s Allowance
• Child Tax Credit
• Constant Attendance Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) – income-based (not contribution-based ESA)
• Income Support
• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – income-based (not contribution-based JSA)
• Pension Guarantee Credit
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Severe Disablement Allowance
• Tax Credits (both Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit)
• Universal Credit
• War Pensions Mobility Supplement
• Working Tax Credit

You don’t need to be currently claiming the benefit, but you need to have received the benefit within 18 months of the installation.

If nobody in your household has claimed any of these benefits you still might be eligible for assistance under the Energy Company Obligation through Flintshire Council’s Local Authority Flexible Energy rules. There’s more about this in the next section of the blog below.

Flintshire Council’s Local Authority Flexible Energy rules

The Local Authority or LA Flex scheme is the perfect solution for households that want to take advantage of ECO but don’t claim benefits. It enables more people to access the grant program. So, if you don’t claim benefits Flintshire Council’s Local Authority Flexible Energy rules could be of interest to you.

Under their rules Flintshire Council have decided that people living in fuel poverty are eligible for funding. They also define households that have a low income and are vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home as eligible. Some properties are fast-tracked because they are in areas as defined by the Welsh Government as being an area of severe fuel poverty.

Eligibility through living in fuel poverty

10% of your income is spent on fuel costs

If you spend 10% or more of your total income on energy you can apply for a grant. The council define total income as the income received after you have paid your housing costs such as rent or mortgage fees, and you can also deduct Council Tax from your income before calculating your percentage.

or

Your property has an EPC rating of E, F or G

If you don’t know your EPC rating you can look it up on the gov.uk site at https://www.gov.uk/buy-sell-your-home/energy-performance-certificates

or

You have a low income and high fuel costs

Your income and costs will need to meet the rules in the below table for both low income and high fuel costs.

Table 1: Low income as defined by Flintshire Council

Household composition	Annual household income	Monthly household equivalent
1 Adult (18 years and over)	£8900	£740
and 1 child	£11700	£980
and 2 child	£14400	£1200
and 3 children	£17300	£1440
and 4+ children	£20100	£1680
2 Adults (18 years and over)	£14600	£1220
and 1 child	£17400	£1450
and 2 children	£20200	£1680
and 3 children	£23100	£1930
and 4+ children	£25700	£2140

Table 2: Properties that are classed as having high costs or are expensive to heat as defined by Flintshire Council.

Property details	Type	Score
Number of bedrooms	1	0
	2	10
	3	35
	4	55
	5	70
	6 or more	80
Are energy payments made by Direct Debit?	Yes	0
	No	15
What is the tenure?	Private rented	15
	Owner occupied	10
	Registered Social Landlord	0
	Local Authority	0
Does the home use a boiler?	Yes	0
	No	5
Was the home built before 1964?	Yes	25
	No	0
What is the main fuel type?	Mains gas	0
	Electricity	30
	Other	15
Park/Mobile Home	Yes	50
	No	0

If your property doesn’t have central heating, or has solid fuel, or if it scores 50 or higher on table 2 you will be eligible.

Eligibility through having a low income and being vulnerable to the cold

Your income will need to meet the income rules in table 1 (above) and you will also need to meet one of the ‘vulnerability to cold’ indicators.

Vulnerability to cold indicators include households where a member of the household is/has

• Aged over 60 and particularly those over 75
• Children under 5 and pregnant mothers
• Cardiovascular Disease
• Moderate to severe mental illness
• Substance misusers
• Dementia
• Neurobiological and related diseases
• Cancer
• Limited mobility
• Haemoglobinopathies
• Severe learning disabilities
• Autoimmune and immunodeficiency diseases

Eligibility through living in areas of severe fuel poverty

Flintshire Council also accepts applications from applicants that are living in areas of severe fuel poverty. If you think you might live in a deprived area please get in touch and we can check eligibility based on your postcode area within a few minutes.

What properties are eligible for grants?

Grants are available for most property types within the Flintshire Council area including houses, flats and bungalows, but the type of property can determine which grants are available. For example, cavity wall insulation isn’t usually available in flats unless the whole building is insulated. The property needs to have its own land registry entry to be eligible. Unfortunately the scheme excludes social housing and council properties.

Frequently asked questions

How long will first time central heating grants be available?

First time central heating grants should be available until at least the end of the current scheme (finishing at the end of March 2022). Hopefully these grants will continue until the end of the next phase (ECO4) which is due to run until March 2026. This assumes that there are sufficient funds available in the scheme, so we always recommend applying as soon as you can.

What if I am not sure whether central heating has been fitted in my home before but subsequently removed?

If you don’t know if your home has had central heating before, you can apply for a first time central heating grant and the installer will be able to make an assessment. They’ll check the property and publicly available records and should be able to report back quickly (within a day or two) if they think you are eligible.

What happens if you are awarded the grant?

If you are awarded the grant, the installer will ask for evidence of eligibility. The installer receives the grant directly from the energy company and they will arrange the installation at a time that is convenient.

What if I don’t claim any benefits?

If you do not claim any benefits, you can still apply for a grant.  The process is slightly longer as the installer must apply for authorisation from your council. You will also need to meet the flexible energy rules detailed above.

What if I don’t have a gas supply to my home?

If there is mains gas in your area, we have partners that will fully fund gas line installations providing you meet the ECO eligibility criteria.

But don’t  worry if you don’t have a gas supply to your home. We also install central heating connected to LPG or Calor tanks and we can also look at electric heating grants for your home.

How to apply for a grant

There are two simple way to apply for a grant:

i. By calling us on 0330 058 0236 or emailing us at info@ecoproviders.co.uk

or

ii. Complete our short form at https://www.ecoproviders.co.uk/eco3-grant-application-form

‍The ECO Providers UK is a Registered and Trusted Installer operating throughout the UK. Access to heating and insulation grants could be yours within a matter of minutes. So don’t delay, apply today! We can’t wait to work with you!